VIEW FROM THE FRONT PORCH: Fill ’r up and kick me

Remember the old gag of sneaking up behind someone and sticking a note on their back that read, “kick me”? The end result was always the same; one person would feel foolish while others would laugh at the person’s expense. It was a prank that I never really found funny, but I think of it every...

Remember the old gag of sneaking up behind someone and sticking a note on their back that read, “kick me”? The end result was always the same; one person would feel foolish while others would laugh at the person’s expense. It was a prank that I never really found funny, but I think of it every time I fill my car up with gas here in Cohasset.

While the pluses far out way the minuses here in our cozy little hamlet-by-the-sea, there are a few things that I’d change if I were “King for a Day.” One of those things is the inflated price of gasoline at the stations in town.

First of all, the price of gas has become a bit of joke, with the cost doubling over the past 10 years while oil companies roll in record profits. After topping off at more than $4 a gallon in 2008, the average price of a gallon of gas in the Boston area (as of two weeks ago) was $3.66 a gallon — but you’ll be hard-pressed to find that number anywhere in town. (Source: Bostongasprices.com)

Back in 2007 when we moved to town from the Metro-West, I knew there would be certain sacrifices we’d have to endure when we moved to Cohasset, mainly proximity. Proximity to our favorite restaurants, proximity to Jordan’s I-max, and easy in and out of Boston were all things I knew we’d be giving up, but I didn’t anticipate losing access to reasonably priced fuel.

Originally, I thought the increase may be associated with Cohasset’s distance from the fuel depots. However, one doesn’t have to travel too far on Route 3A to disprove that theory. Just two towns in either direction, there are numerous stations with prices 15 to 20 cents less a gallon than what we pay here (and in Weymouth they actually pump the fuel for you). Then I thought maybe Cohasset had an added tax per gallon, and perhaps the town was using the funds to underwrite something wicked cool; now that’s something I could live with. I checked with acting Town Manager Michael Milanoski, and he informed me that there was not a town-imposed tax on fuel. Later, I realized that I forgot to ask if the town was in the midst of planning something wicked cool.

So the local inflated price isn’t based on distance, nor is it based on a local tax. I checked, it’s not based on a higher commercial tax rate. Hmm, anyone want to guess why fuel companies are charging more for gas here in Cohasset than almost everywhere else?

For the past 5 years I’ve grumbled every time I filled up the tank here in town. I even got excited when I read that Stop & Shop, known for reasonably priced gas would be opening a station, on Route 3A. Bravo, I thought. The arrival of a Stop & Shop gas station is basically on par with the cavalry showing up, just as the settlers had run out of supplies. Surely Stop & Shop will drive the cost down around town, and there will be much rejoicing.

Page 2 of 3 - As you may know, Stop & Shop gas stations are scattered throughout the Boston area, and typically offer prices among the lowest in the region. Given the fact that the Stop & Shop station just up the road in Quincy charges 20 cents less a gallon, I figured that we the fine citizens of Cohasset were on the verge of seeing a much needed market adjustment. Wrong. Instead of coming in and knocking the other stations on their keisters, Stop & Shop came to town, participated in a gas station group hug, learned the secret handshake and jacked up their prices — so much for rejoicing.

Two weekends ago (August 25th) while successfully attacking my honey-do list, I decided to take note of posted credit card prices per gallon at each of the four stations. The range here in town was a low of $3.75 a gallon at both Stop & Shop and Hajj Auto Care (who for the record, is the only one of the four stations that actually pumps the gas for you) and a high of $3.89 at the Mobil station, with the Gulf station roughly the same as Mobil. (Both Mobil & Gulf post cash prices that are closer to the others). So the bottom line is, for the privilege of filling up here in town you could be paying $5 more per tank than the regional average.

Let’s go back to the supposed cavalry for a moment. Just 10 miles away, the Stop & Shop in Quincy consistently has a listed price that is close to 20 cents less per gallon. This discrepancy has bothered me for a while, but it wasn’t until last month when I found myself in Abington that I finally had enough. Thirteen miles away, the Abington Stop & Shop station has fuel for 30 cents less and the Mobil station for 28 cents less a gallon than their counterparts here in town.

Thirty cents a gallon from the exact same chains — think about that for a moment and then grab the calculator. It adds up doesn’t it? What are we getting for that extra money? Check under the hood, check your tire pressure, clean your windshield or perhaps a cold bottle of water? Nope, no, sorry and definitely not.

I strongly believe in supporting local businesses, but shouldn’t that support be a two way street? Its one thing to pay a higher price to a local merchant, but to do so with a multi-location retailer shouldn’t be acceptable. I have to wonder, if the chain gas stations along Route 3A are inflating their prices, are the chain stores on the same stretch doing the same?

As always, thanks for reading and perhaps I’ll see you at the gas pump … in Weymouth.

John McSheffrey has been part of the Cohasset community since 2007 and can be reached at jjmcs@aol.com